November 24, 2008

Sophia Network - one year on

The Sophia Network exists to connect women in youth work and ministry, to access training, develop skills and share wisdom.

We focus our energy in four areas:
• partnership – through everything we do we encourage women and men to work together in ways that reflect the heart of God.
• relationships –
facilitating enhanced working relationships between youth workers;
creating environments in which female youth workers can build
relationships with each other; emphasising the importance of mentoring
for youth workers and young people.
• voice – advocacy on behalf of women in youth work; raising awareness of how gender affects youth work and ministry.
• training – providing excellent training to develop confidence, skills and professional expertise.

OUR FIRST YEAR
Since our launch in November 2007, we have:
• grown to over 140 members from all areas of the UK.
• provided regular articles, interviews, reviews and devotionals on our
website for our members, as well as an online directory of members and
a discussion forum.
• held a consultation to discern the key issues facing women in youth
work, the results of which will shape our work for the next year.
• facilitated regional meetings in Bournemouth, Essex, Stockport and Tyneside, and more are planned.
• hosted two pilot training days in communication skills in London.
• liaised with Tearfund over a trip to Cambodia in January 2009 for
women in leadership, with places for Sophia Network members.
• enlisted the support of 17 youth organisations and church denominations, which are listed on our website.
• hosted receptions at the Youthwork conferences and at Greenbelt and
have addressed students at the Centre for Youth Ministry, the Oasis
youth ministry course and Cliff College.
• applied for charitable status.

FUTURE PROJECTS
During Spring 2008 we undertook a consultation to identify the key
issues facing women in youth work and to discern the priority areas in
which the Sophia Network can be proactive. Around 250 people
contributed through an online survey and at meetings. Top concerns were
the need for mentoring, inequality between men and women in the work
environment, a lack of leadership training for women, a lack of role
models and the patriarchal nature of organisations and churches. The
results of the consultation will shape our work over the coming year.

Mentoring training
This is one of the main issues that was identified during the
consultation. Female youth workers want to find mentors and also want
to be able to mentor others. We will provide at least eight mentoring
training events around the UK in 2008/09 for male and female youth
workers, working in partnership with others where possible. We will
create a mentoring pack to give to delegates and to all our members.
Our first three events are already booked and will be happening in:
Bournemouth – 28 February 2009; Worcester – 14 March 2009; Chesham – 28
March 2009.

Communication skills training
We worked with Ros Adler, a skilled communications trainer, to put on a
pilot training day in September which was very successful. We will host
three similar days in 2009, in London, the Midlands and the North.

Regional meetings
Our regional meetings are hosted by volunteers and have been much
appreciated. Face to face meetings are a very effective way of building
the network and of connecting women youth workers. We will continue to
facilitate regional network meetings and will work to ensure they are
of a high standard.

Annual consultation
We plan to have an annual consultation every March around a key issue
identified by members of the network. The first was held in London this
year, and the next will be in the Midlands in 2009, looking at the area
of gender relationships within organisations and churches. This is a
key opportunity to build the network, and to address an issue that
affects our members. We will follow up the consultation with
recommendations for action.

The Christian Apprentice
This is a residential event that aims to build leadership skills and
experience in teenage girls. Run by Sharon Prior from the Sophia
Network in partnership with Urban Saints, the Christian Apprentice took
place in October 2008 and we plan to develop it further in 2009.
Friends of Sophia
The Sophia Network is for women in youth work, but we want to have a
wider impact to encourage men to think about how gender impacts their
work and ministry. We will set up ‘Friends of Sophia’ to enable men to
show support for the network and the issues we raise.
Developing women speakers
We will explore ways in which we can develop and promote women speakers
at events and conferences. Our communication skills training will
contribute towards this.